


The Dance

by TheXtremeFangirl



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alice doesn't let Betty do the Serpent dance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-02-12 20:04:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12967362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheXtremeFangirl/pseuds/TheXtremeFangirl
Summary: A mother would do anything for her child. Even give up everything she had worked so hard for.





	1. Chapter 1

Alice Cooper had never felt as much terror as when she spotted her daughter dancing on the stage in the Whyte Wyrm. The very same dance she herself had performed at that age. Paralyzing fear was gripping her, yet she knew there was only one option to stop this.

The Serpents had rules. Most of them pertained to being loyal and such, but there was one rule she had always hated, since before she had even joined the Serpents herself, and that rule was that once a Serpent dance had begun, it had to be finished. With that thought in mind, she moved towards the stage.

“Oh, _hell_ no.” she growled as she walked up to stand beside her daughter, who had stopped mid-dance at her mother’s voice. Someone stopped the music, and all eyes were on the two Cooper women.

“Mom-” Betty began, holding her hands out in front of her in a placating manner. Alice scowled, taking hold of one of the girl’s wrists.

“Get your ass off this stage, _right now_ Elizabeth.” she ordered, yanking slightly so that Betty had no choice but to stumble forward.

“Mom, no!” the sixteen year old protested. “I wanna do this!”

“You know the rules Alice.” Tall Boy spoke up from his place next to the stage. The blonde’s eyes snapped to him for a moment before sliding over to where FP had made his way to the front of the crowd.

“Yeah. I do.” she replied. She could see FP’s eyes darken. Good. He knew what she was doing then. She saw Jughead cautiously approaching the stage from the corner of her eye and pushed Betty towards him. “Get her the hell out of here.”

The boy nodded, taking hold of his girlfriend’s arms to keep her from getting back up on the stage. FP slowly climbed up onto the stage, Alice refusing to meet his eyes again. He picked up the young girl’s clothes, tossing them down to her and his son before taking hold of Alice’s arm.

“Alice, you don’t have to-” he started lowly, only to be cut off when she yanked out of his grip.

“I already told you.” she replied, her voice hard. “I won’t let them make our mistakes.”

“Mom, what are you talking about? What rules is he talking about?” Betty asked, struggling against Jughead’s grip.

“Betty, just go home!” Alice snapped. Jughead met her eyes, and though he wasn’t quite sure himself what was about to happen and why everyone had just gotten so tense about his girlfriend’s mother getting up on that stage, he knew that he needed to get Betty out of there and fast.

“Come on Betts.” he said softly, pulling her through the crowds of people and towards the exit.

“Juggie, no!” Betty protested. She continued to do so all the way through the throngs of people. She spied Toni rounding the bar and heading towards them and fought a little harder against her boyfriend, wanting to know what the hell was happening.

“Look, I’ll explain, but it really is better if we go outside.” Toni said urgently once she reached them. Betty opened her mouth to protest again as Jughead began to pull her towards the door once more, but she stopped when she heard the music start up again. Her eyes immediately drifted to the stage where her mother had removed her black leather jacket.

“Toni!” she cried in panic, her eyes moving to meet the other girl’s. “What is the rule Tall Boy was talking about?” Toni’s eyes grew sad and sympathetic. She knew there was no way they were getting Betty out of there until she explained.

“Once a woman starts a Serpent dance, she has to finish it...unless someone else volunteers to do it for her.” she whispered. Betty’s eyes went wide, and her eyes snapped back to the stage. Her mother’s top and shorts were now discarded, leaving her in only her lacy black lingerie set.

“Oh God.” Betty whimpered, watching in horror as her mother began dancing sensually on the stage, just as she herself had been doing only minutes earlier. With each beat of the song that passed, the young girl felt more and more sick. The dance looked so practiced when Alice did it, and Betty felt the urge to throw up grow even stronger when she realized that it probably was. The dance was a requirement for every female Serpent’s initiation, and Alice had been a Serpent at one point.

Jughead was watching the dance as well, but his eyes never remained on his girlfriend’s mother for long. His gaze always returned to his father, still standing on the stage, though slightly off to the side. Even from so far away, it was so easy to see the desire on FP’s face. The longing. He’d never seen his father look at his mother like that. And in the time that he’d known her, he had never seen Mrs. Cooper look at her husband that way either. He hated to admit it, but he had seen her look at his father that way when she thought no one was watching.

The three teenagers watched as Alice ended her dance by slowly bending backwards, her head tilted back and her eyes closed, held up only by her grip on the metal in front of her. FP crossed the stage as the final beats of the song faded out and Alice pulled herself to stand straight again. He had picked up her shorts and handed them to her. The defeat was visible on the older woman’s face as she took the offered garment and pulled them on. Neither of them bothered with the shirt she’d dropped somewhere behind the microphones, FP choosing to instead take his Serpent jacket and wrap it around her shoulders. The teens observed him step in front of the blonde, almost protectively, to shield her from the prying eyes of the other patrons of the bar.

When he stepped away, the jacket was zipped up, effectively hiding her body from view. Several of the older Serpents were watching them solemnly, their loyalty to and respect for Alice, even after so long, causing a somber attitude among them over what she’d just had to do. The younger men were watching her with open lust, to the point that several of the older ones stepped in front of them and _politely suggested_ that they show her some respect as FP led her off of the stage, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders and her face buried in his shoulder.

“What the hell are you two still doing here?” FP asked when he spotted them. Alice lifted her head, and it shocked Betty to see tears in her mother’s eyes.

“Mom…” she trailed off.

“She’ll be okay.” FP said, a slight harshness to his tone. “Jug, take Betty home, _now_.” This time, Betty didn’t fight when her boyfriend started pulling her towards the door. She simply looked over her shoulder in time to see FP Jones wrap his arms around her mother as the woman in question began to shake with silent sobs.

A mother would do anything for her child. Even give up everything she had worked so hard for.


	2. Chapter 2

Going home that night felt different. Normally getting close to the house she’d called home for the past eighteen years gave her a feeling of indifference. She was never excited to go home, never angry, never sad. It was always indifference. Like it didn’t matter whether she spent the night in that house or not. It was dull. It was  _ safe _ . Or at least, it had been.

Doing that dance again had left Alice with the realization that she wasn’t happy. Her everyday life felt like she was simply going through the motions. Like she wasn’t in control and that she was an outsider in someone else’s body. She had been pretending for so long that she wasn’t used to the emotions that were now flooding her.

She was angry and sad but also...strangely happy and excited. And although she knew it was probably very wrong, she also knew that the happiness and excitement had nothing to do with going back to her house and everything to do with the man sitting in the driver’s seat.

After her slight breakdown in the Wyrm, FP had insisted that she let him drive her home. She had protested a little at first but in the end hadn’t put up too much of a fight because she was exhausted, she’d been drinking, and she wanted to spend more time with him, even if she didn’t quite want to admit that fact. Even so, she’d compromised by telling him he could drive her home if they took the long way, which would delay her arriving home by about an hour.

_ One extra hour, that’s all you get. _

She repeated it like a mantra in her head, hoping against all odds that her mind, heart, body, and soul would accept it without a fight. Of course, that was apparently too much to ask of herself. Her heart raced, and her skin lit on fire every single time he let his hand fall and brush against her thigh. Her mind had instructed her body to shift closer at some point, and  _ damn it _ , her head was on his shoulder now, and his arm had wrapped around her shoulders. A kiss placed to the top of her head and she knew it was all over. There could be no more pretending.

She was not Alice Cooper, head bitch of the Northside. She didn’t hate the Southside or the people who lived there. She wasn’t a pretty in pink, powder blue suburban mother who only cared about herself and her own family.

She was Alice Cooper, badass mother who came from the Southside. She missed her childhood home and the friends she’d had back then. She missed the black and the leather that once made up her wardrobe. And possibly the biggest thing she had to stop denying was that  _ she missed FP _ . And as he pulled his old, beaten up truck to the curb next to her house, she decided that she was going to.

“You gonna be okay tonight?” he asked, throwing the pickup into park and turning to face her. She nodded, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

“I’ll be fine. I don’t know what I’m going to tell Hal yet, but I’m too tired to think about it right now.” she sighed, angling her body so she was leaning against the door and facing him. She was acutely aware that her porch light was on and that it meant her husband and daughter were very likely waiting up for her, but at that point she was beyond caring. She yawned, pulling her legs up into the seat and extending them so that her feet were resting in his lap, a subconscious action she’d used to do when they were teenagers and had stayed out late.

She tensed up slightly once she realized what she’d done and that even though she was going to stop denying that she missed him, such displays were likely still not appreciated. They were both still married, and even though her own marriage was a joke, he may not see his that way. With that thought in mind, she prepared to pull her legs back. However, he surprised her by taking hold of her ankle to hold her in place as he gently began to rub them like he used to. Like no time had passed between them at all.

“You don’t have to be a serpent.” he said quietly after a few long moments of silence. She let her gaze fall on him, though he refused to meet her eyes.

“I did the dance, FP.” she finally replied.

“I know.” She felt his muscles tense even as he tried to stay relaxed as he continued the slow pressure and movements on her feet. “But you still don’t have to officially rejoin. I can reject your entrance.”

“FP,” she began, pulling her legs away so that she could move closer to him, “I don’t want you to reject my entrance.” He gave her an incredulous look.

“But Ali-” he started. But she didn’t want protests. So, she cut him off by quickly leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. To his credit, he didn’t take long to respond, opening his mouth when she swept her tongue across his bottom lip. She put her arms around his neck, moving until she could maneuver herself so she was straddling him. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that he had always loved that she was small enough to fit in between him and the steering wheel because it made for some  _ very _ nice makeout sessions. Those thoughts were then pushed away when Alice pressed herself against him, tilting her head slightly for the perfect angle to deepen the kiss.

“Oh God, Ali.” he groaned, his fingers digging into her hips when she moved to bite and suck on his earlobe. Her responding low, throaty laughter got much the same effect as she continued down his jaw and neck. His hands moved of their own volition to rest on her ass, and let his head fall back against the headrest as she continued her assault on his neck and jaw. “Ali, we gotta stop.”

It was very painful to have to say because he was  _ very much _ enjoying himself, but they were sitting in front of her house where her husband or daughter could walk out and see them at any  moment, not to mention the fact that she had danced in her underwear in a bar only an hour and a half earlier. The look on her face as she pulled back was painful in itself, and he didn’t want her to think he didn’t want her, but stopping was the right thing to do, at least for now.

She sighed, moving to get off of him and opening her mouth, likely to apologize or something. And although he was very sure they should stop, he slid his hands up to the small of her back and applying light pressure to make her stay. Her blue eyes met his brown in confusion as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

“Ali, you are the hottest woman I’ve ever seen, and it is physically hurting me to not just take you right here, right now, but it feels too much like taking advantage.” he told her, one hand coming up to brush her hair back.

“You’re not taking advantage. I want this. I want  _ you _ .” she replied, her perfect lips forming a pout that nearly broke his resolve.

“I want you too,” FP assured, catching sight of her little smirk at his words and the way he shifted uncomfortably. She  _ knew _ he wanted her, and she knew the effect she was having on him. “I just want it to be when you have a clear head.”

“I’m not going to change my mind between now and tomorrow.” Alice pointed out, running a hand down his chest. “I never stopped wanting you in twenty one years, so I’m fairly certain one more night isn’t going to make a difference in the way I feel.”

“Maybe not. But just...humor me, okay?” he requested, taking hold of her wrist to keep her hand from slipping under his shirt. “Go inside, get some sleep, take some time to process everything. Then if this really is still what you want, I’m in. Because believe it or not, I never stopped wanting you either.” A small smile graced her lips, and she nodded in agreement to his terms before leaning forward for one last slow kiss.

With that done, she moved back to passenger seat, hopped out of the truck, and was on her way to her front door before either of them could change their minds.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I think I have decided that this story and I Promise will end up being five chapters each so that I can free up some time to focus on The Wedding Deal and Unlawful Love and so that these don’t start getting terrible because I’m trying to push them farther than they can go. This is one of my favorite fics that I’ve written so far, and I will be sad to see it end in another two chapters, but I hope you enjoy it while it lasts.

Pushing the door shut behind her, Alice looked around the foyer of her home, the feeling of emptiness and indifference returning. This wasn’t how a woman who was happy in her life was supposed to feel, which only solidified her decision further. She didn’t want this,  _ any _ of this, anymore. Shaking her head, she walked a little further inside, looking for any signs of her family.

The house was quiet, raising a little hope that maybe her daughter and husband had given up waiting for her and gone to bed. That hope, however, was dashed when she saw light spilling from the kitchen and heard the quiet clinking of mugs. With a quick sigh, she edged into the doorway of the kitchen, waiting silently for Betty and Hal to realize she was there.

“Mom!” Betty was up out of her seat in seconds, crossing the kitchen to latch onto the older woman. “I am so sorry!”

“What the hell is she sorry about? She won’t tell me anything.” Hal asked, standing from his seat as well and meeting Alice’s eyes. She simply stared back for a few moments, trying to figure out exactly how this was going to go. Obviously, he wouldn’t be happy about it, but the question was how angry he would be willing to get in front of their daughter.

“I rejoined the Serpents tonight.” she finally answered, gently nudging Betty to the side and turning slightly so he could see the Serpent jacket she still wore. She made a quick mental note that she needed to get it back to FP soon.

“You did what?!” She rolled her eyes, almost involuntarily at this point.

“You heard me.” she snapped, already getting irritated herself. This was going to get very bad, and she knew that. But she also knew that Betty was standing  _ right next to them _ and definitely did not need to be present for it.

“What the hell, Alice?” her husband growled, anger coloring every word.

“She did it for me. To protect me.” Betty cut in quietly. “I tried to do it. But she pulled me down off the stage and did it herself.”

“Did  _ what _ ?” Alice sighed heavily, closing her eyes briefly. He didn’t know about the female Serpent initiation. No one outside of the gang did.

“The Serpent dance.” she told him. “It’s a pole dance, strip tease thing female Serpents have to do for their initiation. It’s been in place for generations.” She could see a vein pulsing in her husband’s neck, a tell tale sign that this fight would be a long one if she didn’t stop it before it escalated too far. “It’s done, and it’s not changing, so you might as well go ahead and learn to deal with it.”

“I will not stand for my wife being part of a damn gang.” Hal was quick to snap back.

“Well then, divorce me. I don’t care anymore. I’m so sick of trying to be someone that I'm not, someone that  _ you _ want me to be. I’m tired, and I can’t do it anymore.” she told him, her voice growing heavier as though to emphasize her point. There was silence in the kitchen for a long time, save for the sound of Betty’s sniffling off to Alice’s left side. She didn’t want the girl to be upset, but she was just so  _ tired _ . She didn’t even feel like herself anymore, and she hadn’t in a long time. Maybe now was the time to try and find herself again.

“Was he there?” her husband’s tight voice, filled with barely concealed anger, broke her from her thoughts, and she lifted her eyes to meet his silently.

“Yes, he was.” she answered. Hal swore loudly, turning and slamming his fist down on the countertop.

“Betty, go upstairs, honey.” Alice said quietly, watching out of the corner of her eye as the younger blonde jumped at her father’s show of rage. She kept her eyes on her husband, his body shaking with anger, until she heard their daughter’s bedroom door close upstairs. “Go on. Say whatever you want to say. It won’t change anything.”

“You don’t think I know that?” She sighed quietly at the bitterness in his voice. Hurting him was never her intention, and neither was angering him. She didn’t even really  _ know _ what her intention was at this point. All she knew was that something had to give, and it was very likely going to be her miserable marriage. “Did you sleep with him?”

“No.”

“Did you  _ want _ to?” It seemed her silence was enough of an answer as he swiped an arm across the counter, sending his and Betty’s mugs as well as a bowl of fruit crashing to the floor. To her credit, she didn’t flinch. She barely even blinked, all too used to his bouts of anger after so long being married to him.

“Are you done?” she asked flatly. He turned to face her, anger still raging in his eyes. However, he wasn’t so much looking at  _ her _ , rather what she was  _ wearing _ .

“Take that thing off.” he ordered lowly. She raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?”

“Take. That damn thing.  _ Off _ .” he replied, his voice now an angry growl. She tilted her head to the side, a little smirk blossoming across her lips.

“You mean his jacket?” she questioned innocently, toying with the zipper. “That’s what this is really about, isn’t it? Hmm? It’s not about me being in the Serpents. It’s not about taking Betty to the bar. It’s about him.”

“Take it off, Alice.” Hal ordered again. She laughed, teasingly lowering the zipper of the jacket about an inch.

“You can’t stand the thought of him even being near me.” she taunted. “Of him looking at me,  _ touching _ me. Because you know that I would enjoy it. That I  _ did _ enjoy it. That no matter how hard you try, you will never,  _ ever _ be able to make me feel the way he makes me feel.” She wasn’t surprised when he growled loudly in anger, pushing her hands out of the way and yanking the zipper of the jacket down himself.

Once the zipper was undone, she grinned, slowly pulling the garment off her shoulders as her husband stared in shock and rage at the lacy black bra she was wearing. It had been ages since had seen her in something like that. Sure, she wore lingerie sets all the time, but he never saw them anymore. They were always for her, to make her feel better about herself. She and Hal hadn’t been intimate in so long that she honestly couldn’t remember  _ exactly _ how long it had been.

“You wore  _ that _ to the party? Where the hell is your shirt?” She raised an eyebrow once more, the answers to both of those questions seeming fairly obvious to her.

“I imagine my shirt is still somewhere on the stage at the bar, not that it would matter. It didn’t really cover this thing anyway because it’s a mesh top.” If it was even possible, her husband’s eyes grew wider, and the vein she’d seen pulsing earlier started to do so even faster. He moved to take the jacket out of her hand, but she was quicker and stepped out of his reach.

“Uh uh, you are not doing a thing to this jacket. I’m taking it back to him tomorrow after I find my own. And I’m going to tell him that you and I are getting a divorce.”

“A divorce? Oh, hell no.” Hal shook his head. “I’m not giving you a damn divorce so you can run off and screw some Southside trash.” Alice’s eyes darkened immediately upon hearing that statement, and the jacket was quickly discarded on the back of the couch. It seemed Hal recognized the fact that he had just severely screwed up, as he took a step back.

“Say what you want about me, Hal. Call me a bitch. A slut. A whore. I really don’t care. But don’t you  _ ever _ insult FP. He’s a better man than you on every level. I know you think he pushed me away because he didn’t love me, but I know the truth. As much as I resented it, I always knew. He pushed me away so I could have a better life. He pushed me  _ to you _ because he thought I deserved better even though I knew I already had the best.” Taking a deep breath, she picked FP’s jacket back up, carefully wrapping it around her shoulders. “I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight. And tomorrow, I’ll call the lawyers and get the divorce papers drawn up. Because as much as you believe I’m only doing this because of him...I’m doing it for myself.”

And with those last words, Alice climbed the stairs and headed to bed feeling lighter than she had in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I ended up playing a game called “how many times can I emphasize the fact that Hal is angry by using the words anger and rage?”. Oh well. I hope you guys enjoyed this installment, and I will see you next time! Happy Falice Friday everyone!


	4. Chapter 4

Slipping upstairs and pulling FP’s jacket back on, Alice felt like she was finally free. She hadn’t been aware of how trapped she had felt until she told Hal that she wanted a divorce, so to realize it now was eye opening. She walked, barely aware of where she was going, until she finally made it to her daughter’s bedroom door. It seemed her subconscious knew she needed to speak with her daughter before going to bed, even if the rest of her body said otherwise.

“Betty?” she called quietly, knocking on the door.

“Yeah?” the teen’s muffled voice came from within the room. Alice sighed quietly, turning the knob and pushing the door open. Betty was lying under the blankets on her bed, her head covered by a pillow, likely to block out the noises that had formerly been coming from downstairs as well as to hide her tears.

“Honey…” she whispered helplessly, moving to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. “How much did you hear?” Her daughter didn’t answer for a while, the only sound filling the silence being the girl’s sniffles. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she lifted the pillow from her face and spoke.

“I snuck down and hid on the stairs. I heard it all.” the younger blonde told her mother flatly. Alice closed her eyes, another sigh leaving her lips. “Are you and dad really getting a divorce? And are you really sleeping with FP?”

“No, I am not sleeping with FP. But...honey, there are so many things you don’t know, things you don’t understand. FP and I have a very complicated history that hasn’t been resolved, and...I know you probably won’t like it, but I want to resolve it, and he said he would like to as well. I miss him. I’m sure it’s not something you want to hear, but I do. I miss him, and he says he misses me, and...I love him. I haven’t been happy with your father in a very long time, and it’s not fair to anyone for me to keep pretending that I am.” She jumped when Betty sat up, violently throwing the blankets off and standing. Alice quickly did the same, facing the girl from across the bed.

“Don’t you even care how this will affect me?” Betty asked angrily. “You can’t date my boyfriend’s dad, it’ll make me and Juggie like...incest!” Her mother fought hard to refrain from rolling her eyes.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Elizabeth. You and Jughead aren’t biologically related, so even if FP and I dated, or even got married, your relationship would never be incestuous. Not unless one of us adopted the other’s child, and we would never do that. Besides, it’s not illegal for step-siblings to date or marry.” The teen’s shoulders relaxed slightly, though she still looked wary.

“Are you sure?” she asked, the small voice betraying that she was more afraid of losing her boyfriend than actually angry about the situation.

“Very sure.” Alice nodded. She watched as her daughter let out a breath of relief, the girl’s body finally relaxing.

“Can I go see him?” she asked. “He texted me and said he was spending the night at Archie’s since it was so late...I was gonna sneak out after you guys went to bed, but…”

_ At least she’s being honest about it. _ The elder blonde took a moment to deliberate. On the one hand, she didn’t quite want her daughter spending the night in the company of two teenage boys. However, she rationalized that Fred was home and that neither boy would make a move on the girl with the other there. Not to mention, Alice herself would be under no obligation to stay home if Betty wasn’t there…

“You can go on one condition.” she finally answered, waiting for the girl to give her an indication that she was listening. “You can’t tell Jughead that FP and I are going to try and work things out.”

“Why?” Betty furrowed her brow, though she knew she was going to end up agreeing in the end, if only so she could go and see her boyfriend.

“Because I think that’s something FP would probably like to discuss with Jughead himself.” Alice replied. “And if he decides he doesn’t want to work it out anymore, then there’s no reason to get his son involved.” Betty nodded her understanding before moving forward and hugging her mother.

“I love you, mom. And...even though this is going to be really weird...I want you to be happy, so whatever happens with FP, I’ll support you.” she whispered. Alice hugged the girl tighter, her eyes closing for a brief few seconds.

“I love you too, baby girl.” Betty pulled away after a minute, and Alice watched as the girl grabbed her sweater and headed for the door.

“Try not to fight with dad anymore tonight, okay?” The elder Cooper nodded, apparently giving the answer the teen wanted, for she disappeared right after. A few moments later, Alice heard the front door shut downstairs. Stepping out of Betty’s room, she toyed with the idea of going to bed, knowing it was what she should do. But upon the opening of the master bedroom door, that idea was quickly discarded, and she started in the direction of the stairs.

“Where the hell are you going?” Hal snapped as she passed him.

“I’m fairly sure even you are intelligent enough to know where I’m going, Hal.” she replied, stopping at the top of the stairs to give him a look that told him just how much of an idiot she believed him to be.

“You’re really doing this then? Whoring yourself out to an alcoholic in a gang? An alcoholic that didn’t want you if you’ve forgotten.” her husband sneered back at her. She could see how, surprisingly, hurt he was behind all the anger, yet she couldn’t bring herself to throw her own desires away again.

“I’m not whoring myself out, Hal. I’m dropping all the smoke screens. I never wanted this life. I didn’t want to be a Northsider, I didn’t want to become this perfectionist bitch that everyone hates, and I  _ have _ . This isn’t who I am, and it’s certainly not who I want to be. I’m sorry if it hurts you or makes you angry or whatever it is you’re feeling, but it’s the truth, and I’m done trying to hide it.” She didn’t wait for his response, making her way back down the stairs and to the front door. She grabbed her keys from where she’d left them on an end table and quickly walked to her car.

The drive to Sunnyside Trailer Park was excruciatingly long, longer than she remembered it ever being before. When she finally pulled up to his trailer, her nerves were practically thrumming, though whether it was with anxiousness or excitement, she didn’t know. It took another ten minutes for her to actually climb out of the car and step up to his door, but it seemed like her body knew what to do even if her mind was running too fast to know, for her hand was raising to knock before she could stop to think about if this was  _ really _ a good idea.

Northside Alice, the one who loved to remind Southside Alice of all the insecurities Hal had a penchant for using against her, nearly talked her into running back to the car and going home to beg her husband’s forgiveness.

The real Alice promptly gave her the subconscious finger.

“Alice?” She snapped out of her daze when the door swung open and his voice floated out to her ears.

“I left him.” she heard herself say. “I can’t wait anymore. This is what I want.” He didn’t even hesitate to take hold of her hips and yank her forward, crashing his lips to hers hard. His fingers were digging into her hips over the material of her shorts, and she moaned into his mouth, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue past her lips. Somehow they managed to stumble inside the trailer, and Alice quickly kicked the door shut with her foot.

She unwound her arms from where they had come to rest around his neck, unzipping his jacket and letting it fall down her arms to the floor. She then took hold of the hem of his shirt, tugging on it slightly to let him know that it needed to come off  _ now _ . He got the message, pulling away from her long enough to practically rip the thing over his head and toss it to the side before reclaiming her mouth and pulling her as close as she could get. It wasn’t long before more clothes went flying, and they spent the entire night in bed together.

Alice couldn’t remember a time in the last twenty one years when she had been so content to get little to no sleep. Her eyes opened slowly, and she rubbed them to remove the traces of the tiny bit of sleep she did get only to find that she was alone in the bed. She stood and slipped on her underwear and a random flannel shirt, leaving a couple buttons undone. She followed the now prominent smell of bacon and eggs.

She found FP standing in front of the stove in just his boxers, and she couldn’t help but lean against the doorframe and admire him for a moment. Never in their eighteen years of being married had Hal cooked her breakfast. He had always expected her to do it, from the moment she became his wife. Shaking out of her thoughts and stepping forward, she slipped her arms around his waist, letting her hands roam his torso.

“Morning.” she whispered, leaning up to drop a kiss between his shoulder blades.

“Morning, gorgeous.” he replied, turning slightly so she could move beside him and he could put an arm around her. She leaned into his side as he took the different pans off their eyes. “You hungry?”

“Mmm, I’m hungry for something, but it’s not food.” she answered, letting her nails gently scrape down his chest. She heard his breathing quicken, and he grabbed hold of her wrist, turning to face her fully.

“Don’t start something you don’t intend to finish, Al.” he warned. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and put on her best innocent expression.

“I don’t know what you mean, Forsythe. I  _ always _ finish what I start.” She had barely finished her sentence when he wrapped his arms tightly around her with a growl and lifted her up onto the counter, causing her to laugh. He wasted no time before stepping between her legs, one hand moving up the back of her shirt to massage her back and the other trailing up her thigh and just barely skimming the waistband of her panties. He connected their mouths, pressing slightly against her lower back to get her to lean forward a bit.

And then the front door swung open.

FP pulled away from her, practically yanking her down from the counter and pushing her behind him. Both adults stared back at a wide eyed Jughead, his mouth hanging open, and a helpless looking Betty. The teenage boy seemed at a loss for words as he closed and reopened his mouth several times, his eyes trying to focus anywhere but on his girlfriend’s somewhat indecent mother and his father.

“I’m sorry. I tried to tell him not to come, but…” Betty trailed off, red in the face and also keeping her eyes averted. “Mom, could you like…” The girl gestured at her chest, and Alice closed her eyes, doing up the last two buttons of FP’s shirt. It wasn’t like she was actually showing much of anything, but it was still embarrassing for all involved.

“You knew about this?” Jughead asked, grateful for the excuse to look away from the adults but a little angry that Betty hadn’t told him.

“I told her not to say anything.” Alice spoke up on her daughter’s behalf, forcing the teen to turn reluctantly back to them. “I thought it was something your father would prefer you hear from him after we had discussed it.”

“Doesn’t look like you two have been doing much  _ discussing _ .” the boy muttered, pointedly keeping his eyes off of Alice.

“Look boy, this is happening, alright? We tried it once, and it didn’t work, but we’re older now, and we wanna try again.” FP told his son. “We’re both consenting adults, and we want to make it work, so you might as well go ahead and get on board.”

“I mean...yeah, okay.” Jughead said awkwardly, pushing his hair back a bit in his signature way. FP nodded once, again repositioning so he could wrap an arm around his blonde lover’s waist. The room was filled with awkward silence for a while before Jughead finally spoke up again. “So does this make me and Betty like...incest now?”

“ _ No _ , dumbass.” FP growled irritably as Alice didn’t even fight the full body eye roll the question brought on like she had with Betty.

“Has that damn school taught any of children about biology?” she asked.

“Are you two related by blood, boy?” FP questioned his son.

“Well, no-” Jug began.

“Do you share the same parents?”

“No, but-”

“Did you grow up in the same house as brother and sister?”

“Dad, no-”

“Did you two start dating after me and Ali?”

“I mean, if you were broken up for so long, I guess not, but-”

“Then it’s not incest. End of discussion.” FP stated, leaving no room for argument. Jughead opened his mouth as though he intended to do just that, but a simultaneous glare from both adults made him rethink his decision.

“Okay, sure.” he said. “I’m gonna go grab my clothes and...try to forget I ever saw any of this.” Betty mumbled a quick agreement, following the boy into the back of the trailer to retrieve his clothes. Once they were gone, Alice buried her face in FP’s shoulder with a groan.

“That was  _ mortifying _ .” she whined, smacking his stomach lightly when she heard him start chuckling. “It’s not funny!”

“It’s a little funny.” he denied, his hand moving back up the back of her shirt to rub soothing circles on her skin. She lifted her head, lips pursed and eyes teasingly narrowed.

“Let’s see how funny you think it is when I refuse to sleep with you again.” she mock threatened.

“Very funny, cause I know I would break you.” FP grinned, leaning forward and taking advantage of her slightly shocked expression in order to steal a kiss.

“Okay, you guys can stop now, at least until we leave.” Betty said loudly. Both adults turned to see the girl’s fingers on the doorframe. Apparently, the two teenagers had decided they weren’t coming out of the bedroom until it was declared “safe”. Rolling their eyes, the elder occupants of the trailer stepped apart and told the kids they could come out.

“We’re happy for you two, we’re all for you guys finally getting a happy ending, but it’s still super weird, so just...give it some time before you get all lovey dovey in front of us, okay?” the younger Cooper woman said. Both adults sighed, nodding in understanding. The girl was right, and it was only fair that they respect that. Of course, the teenagers didn’t stick around for long after that, leaving the two of them standing in the middle of the room.

“I’m pretty sure our breakfast has gone cold.” Alice finally declared, breaking the silence that had descended upon them. FP’s only response was to turn and lift her up in one swift move. She locked her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck on instinct, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

“I’d rather have a hot dessert anyway.” he shrugged.

“Dessert for breakfast? What kind of person has dessert for breakfast?” she asked innocently.

His only response was to carry her back to the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this is the longest thing I’ve written since the first chapter of The Wedding Deal. Still not as long as that, but I’m still proud of how long I made this so it’s whatever. Let me know what you think! Only one more chapter after this.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't feel like Alice's reaction to that dance during the episode was as true to her character as it should have been, so here's this. And also, I'm ignoring the Penny Peabody thing, which is another reason why FP's little speech didn't make an appearance. I may or may not do a follow up, in which it could make an appearance for a reason not involving Penny, but I haven't decided yet. Either way, let me know what you think!


End file.
